Gameplay ride vehicle systems and methods

• US 10,289,194 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2018
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: McCracken, Sean David, Merz, Eric Lawrence, Boyle, Patrick Devin, Schwartz, Justin Michael, Geraghty, Thomas Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kien T
• Application Number:
  US15/912,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20180253905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 472 43, 472 59- 61, 472130, 434 29, 434 55, 345 7- 8, 345419
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6653 for altering the visibility of an object, e.g. preventing the occlusion of an object, partially hiding an object
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 27/00 Russian swings; Great wheels, e.g. Ferris wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/00 Amusement arrangements hoop exercising apparatus driven by the user A63B19/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/16 creating illusions of travel
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 7/00 Up-and-down hill tracks; Switchbacks
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0141 characterised by the informative content of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0145 creating an intermediate image
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 : characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 : Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 : characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 : Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 : Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 : Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 : Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 : Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 : for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 : Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/024 : Multi-user, collaborative environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 : with head-mounted left-right displays

Abstract

A ride system for an amusement park includes a ride vehicle configured to accommodate a rider and configured to travel along a ride path, a head mounted display configured to be worn by the rider, and a control system. The control system is configured to display a virtual instruction to the rider via the head mounted display, receive a signal from a user input device associated with the rider, determine that the signal received from the user input device corresponds to the virtual instruction, and trigger a movement of the ride vehicle in response to determining that the signal corresponds to the virtual instruction.

Claims

1. A ride system for an amusement park, comprising:

a ride vehicle configured to accommodate a rider and configured to travel along a ride path;

a head mounted display configured to be worn by the rider; and

a control system configured to;

display a virtual driving instruction to the rider via the head mounted display;

receive a signal from a steering user input device associated with the rider;

determine that the signal received from the steering user input device corresponds to the virtual driving instruction; and

trigger a movement of the ride vehicle in response to determining that the signal corresponds to the virtual driving instruction.

2. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the virtual driving instruction comprises an augmented reality (AR) object.

3. The ride system of claim 1, comprising the steering user input device, wherein the steering user input device comprises a steering wheel, a handheld controller, a joystick, or a push button configured to be operated by the rider to steer the ride vehicle.

4. The ride system of claim 3, wherein the control system is configured to control a steering system to steer the ride vehicle in accordance with the signal received from the steering user input device and to trigger a change in speed of the ride vehicle in response to determining that the signal corresponds to the virtual driving instruction.

5. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the ride vehicle is configured to accommodate another rider, wherein the ride system comprises another head mounted display configured to be worn by the another rider, and wherein the control system is further configured to:

display an augmented reality (AR) object to the another rider via the another head mounted display;

receive a respective signal from a marking user input device associated with the another rider;

determine that the signal received from the marking user input device corresponds to an interaction with the AR object by determining that the signal received from the marking user input device corresponds to a mark of the AR object with a virtual projectile from the marking user input device; and

trigger, in response to determining that the signal received from the marking user input device corresponds to the interaction with the AR object, another movement of the ride vehicle.

6. The ride system of claim 5, wherein the control system is configured to determine a skill level of the another rider based on a weighting process of previous interactions of the another rider with a plurality of other AR objects throughout a portion of the ride prior to the interaction, wherein the AR object and the plurality of other AR objects are part of an AR environment visible to the another rider via the another head mounted display, and the control system is configured to adjust the AR environment based on the skill level of the another rider.

7. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to trigger another movement of the ride vehicle in response to determining that the signal does not correspond to the virtual driving instruction.

8. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the movement comprises changing a velocity of the ride vehicle.

9. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the ride is configured to be a game played by the rider as the ride vehicle travels along the ride path.

10. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the virtual driving instruction indicates a turning direction and comprises a text message, an object on the ride path, or a symbol.

11. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the ride vehicle is configured to accommodate another rider, wherein the ride system comprises another head mounted display configured to be worn by the another rider, and a marking user input device that enables the another rider to interact with a plurality of augmented reality (AR) objects displayed to the another rider via the another head mounted display, and wherein the control system is configured to adjust a number of the plurality of AR objects displayed to the another rider via the another head mounted display in response to determining that the signal corresponds to the virtual driving instruction.

12. A method of providing entertainment in an amusement park, comprising:

generating, via a computer graphics generation system of a control system communicatively coupled to a ride vehicle, a gaming environment, wherein the gaming environment comprises a plurality of augmented reality (AR) objects, wherein the ride vehicle is configured carry one or more riders and to travel along a ride path;

displaying the gaming environment via one or more head mounted displays associated with each of the one or more riders;

receiving, via the control system, a first signal from a steering device configured to be operated by the one or more riders and a second signal from a marking device configured to be operated by the one or more riders; and

triggering, via the control system, movement of the ride vehicle based at least in part on the first signal and the second signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of AR objects comprise a virtual driving instruction object and a target object, the movement of the ride vehicle comprises a first type of movement of the ride vehicle and a second type of movement of the ride vehicle, and wherein triggering the movement of the ride vehicle comprises:

determining that the first signal received from the steering device corresponds to the virtual driving instruction object; and

triggering, in response to determining that the first signal received from the steering device corresponds to the virtual driving instruction object, the first type of movement of the ride vehicle;

determining that the second signal received from the marking device corresponds to a virtual interaction with the target object; and

triggering, in response to determining that the second signal received from the marking device corresponds to the virtual interaction with the target object, the second type of movement of the ride vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first type of movement comprises changing a velocity of the ride vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first type of movement comprises decreasing a velocity of the ride vehicle.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the movement comprises changing a velocity of the ride vehicle.

17. The method of claim 12, comprising determining, via the control system, a score for the ride vehicle based at least in part on the first signal and the second signal wherein triggering the movement of the ride vehicle is based at least in part on the score for the ride vehicle.

18. A ride and game control system integrated with a ride vehicle configured to carry one or more riders along a ride track, the ride and game control system comprising:

a game controller configured to;

receive first input signals from a steering user input device configured to be operated by the one or more riders;

receive second input signals from at least one marking user input device configured to be operated by the one or more riders;

determine that the received first input signals correspond to a virtual driving instruction;

output, in response to determining that the received first input signals correspond to the virtual driving instruction, a first control signal indicative of an instruction to cause a first movement of the ride vehicle;

determine that the received second input signals correspond to an interaction with an augmented reality (AR) object; and

output, in response to determining that the received second input signals correspond to the interaction with the AR object, a second control signal indicative of an instruction to cause a second movement of the ride vehicle; and

a ride controller communicatively coupled to the game controller and configured to receive the first control signal and the second control signal, and configured to control movement of the ride vehicle based at least in part on the first control signal and the second control signal.

19. The ride and game control system of claim 18, comprising a computer graphics generation system communicatively coupled to the game controller and to a head mounted display configured to be worn by the rider, wherein the computer graphics generation system is configured to generate and display the virtual driving instruction and the AR object via the head mounted display.

20. The ride and game control system of claim 18, wherein the ride controller is configured to adjust a velocity of the ride vehicle based at least in part on the first control signal or the second control signal.